# Cruise ships: Why does the ship gather your bags and then deliver to your room? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** vacation-travel\ **Created:** [March 12, 2025, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-ships-why-does-the-ship-gather-your-bags-and-then-deliver-to-your-room/1015466 "2025-03-12T13:56:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2025, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-ships-why-does-the-ship-gather-your-bags-and-then-deliver-to-your-room/1015466/41 "2025-03-13T17:56:37Z")
Sorry, I haven’t done a Viking river trip, only ocean. The ocean ships have laundries. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2025, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-ships-why-does-the-ship-gather-your-bags-and-then-deliver-to-your-room/1015466/42 "2025-03-13T18:03:55Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Not river cruises. Or if they have it, they keep it a deep dark secret. By the authority vested in me by Kaiser Wilhelm II, I pronounce you man and wife. Proceed with the execution. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-ships-why-does-the-ship-gather-your-bags-and-then-deliver-to-your-room/1015466/43 "2025-03-16T15:30:32Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > This - much narrower than hotel hallways - and there are fewer elevators which are much smaller than hotel elevators. Fewer elevators for passengers. For most cruise ships there are a number of elevators which are reserved for crew, which are much better situated for moving luggage. The hallways are so narrow that someone in a wheelchair just about takes the entire width. Not very convenient for people juggling 1-3 suitcases. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-ships-why-does-the-ship-gather-your-bags-and-then-deliver-to-your-room/1015466/44 "2025-03-16T15:38:47Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Bringing them to your cabin makes it easier for you. You can look around the ship, eat lunch, etc, instead of lugging bags. A little touch of luxury. You forgot start getting your drink on. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-ships-why-does-the-ship-gather-your-bags-and-then-deliver-to-your-room/1015466/45 "2025-03-16T15:43:59Z")
Just curious-What does it usually cost to get your laundry picked up and cleaned? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-ships-why-does-the-ship-gather-your-bags-and-then-deliver-to-your-room/1015466/46 "2025-03-16T15:48:39Z")
Also, I started a separate thread about cruise ship drink packages here: [Are cruise ship drink packages cost-effective? - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cruise-ship-drink-packages-cost-effective/1015665) ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-ships-why-does-the-ship-gather-your-bags-and-then-deliver-to-your-room/1015466/47 "2025-03-16T16:15:24Z")
[Here’s a price list](https://i0.wp.com/profcruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Screen-Shot-2021-12-06-at-2.59.17-PM.png?resize=396%2C1024&ssl=1) There’s also usually a bundle price mid-week. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-ships-why-does-the-ship-gather-your-bags-and-then-deliver-to-your-room/1015466/48 "2025-03-16T16:19:11Z")
Thank you. Damn! That ain’t cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-ships-why-does-the-ship-gather-your-bags-and-then-deliver-to-your-room/1015466/49 "2025-03-16T20:50:59Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > Fewer elevators for passengers. For most cruise ships there are a number of elevators which are reserved for crew, which are much better situated for moving luggage. Right. However, at one port on the Rhine I didn’t go on shore, and watched the kitchen staff and a lot of other staff on my Viking cruise pass the food they had loaded down the central stairs to the kitchen. Fascinating, and good looking produce. Never saw that on an ocean liner. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2025, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-ships-why-does-the-ship-gather-your-bags-and-then-deliver-to-your-room/1015466/50 "2025-03-20T05:15:37Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Fascinating, and good looking produce. Never saw that on an ocean liner. Yeah, the logistics on these ships is amazing. At the end of one cruise, I was sitting in the buffet restaurant while waiting for my disembarkation group to be called, and watched them loading and unloading stuff. They had one big door in the side of the ship, and luggage was being taken out as food and supplies were being loaded. They had a crane that went back and forth, luggage one way, supplies the other. They had separate teams of forklifts taking away the luggage, and delivering supplies, all timed so there was virtually zero down time for the crane between loads. They had semi trucks full of supplies arriving in sequence to be unloaded by the forklifts, again with almost no downtime switching from one truck to the next. Just amazing coordination to watch unfold. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cruise-ships-why-does-the-ship-gather-your-bags-and-then-deliver-to-your-room/1015466.md?page=2)